Arizona Cardinals: No starting-caliber QB states Murray could return quickly

Earlier in the week, the Arizona Cardinals re-signed the charismatic David Blough, indicating they may not need a long-term starter.

For months, those in Arizona Cardinals circles believed the Redbirds would need to zero in on a starting-caliber quarterback thanks to the possibility incumbent starter Kyler Murray would miss extended time. But with David Blough heading back to the desert, that may not be the case.

While Blough is more than capable of starting a few games in Murray’s absence, he only has seven starts in his NFL career, winning none of them. No, he never really had a chance to win thanks to his starts coming with the (formerly) lowly Detroit Lions and a decimated Cardinals team. 

But logic states general manager Monti Ossenfort would have gone out and signed someone capable of starting more than a handful of games if he believed Murray would miss a significant amount of time. If Murray returns sooner than expected, you can also expect him and the new-look offense to potentially thrive in the desert under offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. 

Kyler’s potential early return could work for the Arizona Cardinals

While it’s no secret that Kyler Murray was nothing more than abysmal in 2022, it’s also worth noting that he and former head coach Kliff Kingsbury were at odds. It’s also worth pointing out that Murray was never a good fit for Kliff’s “Air Raid” system, which perhaps also caused him to underperform between 2019 and 2022.  

Since Drew Petzing is a disciple of Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, expect Arizona to go with a run-first approach. This will allow Murray not only to use his mobility, assuming his knee is up to scratch, but it’s also a system better suited for the fifth-year quarterback. 

Therefore, if Murray returns sooner than expected, look for it to potentially boost Arizona’s offense in ways we haven’t seen them play since the first half of 2021. The difference? Murray will, for once in his pro career, finds himself in the right offense.